Fremantle’s Colin Sylvia still training with Peel Thunder

Ross Lyon, the head coach of Fremantle told the media that the plight of Colin Sylvia shouldn’t be compared to that of Michael Walters. Lyon sent Sylvia down to the Peel Thunder to train earlier in February after the boss felt he wasn’t living up to the team’s training standards. This wasn’t the first time Lyon has sent a player packing as he made a similar decision with Walters back in 2012. Suffice to say, it may not be a wise choice to back Sylvia for a BetEasy AFL Brownlow Medal Bonus Bet this season.

Fremantle defender Lee Spurr recently predicted that Sylvia may end up in the same boat as Walters and could emerge as one of the Dockers’ top players in the future. Lyon admitted that he was harsher when dealing with Sylvia because he’s a veteran player and should know better. At the time in 2012, Walters was rather young and had some personal issues to deal with. The experience definitely helped Walters as Lyon said he’s become such a good and reliable player and leader that he may one day end up as the team’s skipper. This makes Walters a good choice for some fans who are looking for a player to back with a BetEasy AFL Brownlow Medal Bonus Bet.

Lyon recently remarked to the press,

There’s only one common thread there and that’s they both went back to a WAFL club after a sustained period of not conforming to the standard. Michael was a young player, he had to work through some off-field stuff … but he could end up captaining this club. He’s a great trainer and a great leader. Col came over as a 10-year mature age free agent, so the expectations were a little bit higher with him. Not by standards but in the ability to be able to do it straight away. So he’s faced some challenges. We haven’t withdrawn support, we’ve just put in front of Col what he needs to do … it’s possible he could be back.

Sylvia was absent from the Dockers’ recent intra-squad game and Lyon said he’s not sure when he may return to the senior side. The banished players has been training with Peel since February 9th. Dockers’ skipper Matthew Pavlich said he’s talked several times with Sylvia since he was sent down and has offered him the support of the team. But Pavlich claimed that Sylvia has to work as hard as he can to prove to the club that he’s ready to rejoin the squad in Fremantle. He said actions speak louder than words and that’s what it will take for Sylvia to be invited back. Fremantle supporters may want to use a BetEasy AFL Brownlow Medal Bonus Bet by backing Pavlich in the 2015 campaign.